AUSTIN — With two of broadcast TV’s satirical news-meisters heading to pastures new this year, is online video yet in a position to move in and occupy the space? We may find out on April 3.
That’s when Huffington Post launches The HuffPost Show – but, in time, the online media brand wants to get its shows on the living room TV.
“It will be a satirical news show. It will be our take on those type of shows. It’s shot in front of a live audience, live to air, it is very exciting for us,” Huffington Post CEO Jimmy Maymann tells Beet.TV of the weekly show, airing 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT beginning April 3.
With two of TV’s main satirical shows, The Colbert Report and The Daily Show, losing their hosts, it is certainly good timing. Maymann comments: “We planned that a long time (ago), but, since then, it’s helping us that Colbert has decided to do something else, John Stewart just announced that he wants to do something else. It feels like the timing couldn’t have been better.”
Huffington Post is no longer simply the blog launched by its eponymous founder. The HuffPost Live brand has already built muscle memory at creating daily live and recorded video casts on topical events. But HuffPost and Maymann have designs on more than just their own online channel.
“The next frontier for us is to see, is there a deal for us that can be done in cable?,” he says.
“Things like the HuffPost Show, but also we’re planning a numbers of documentaries coming later this year.
“A numbers of those things would have a natural life on a more traditional cable channel.
That’s the hope.”
Whether cable operators agree, time will tell.
Maymann was interviewed by Beet.TV at the 4As’ (American Association of Advertising Agencies) Transformation 2015 event in Austin, Texas. Our coverage is sponsored by Videology. Please find more coverage from the conference here.
